12 Year Old Redemption
by Fuuton Kitsune Hime
Summary: Naruto is Haymitch's son and has been chosen to fill a deadly role. Will he be able to protect those he loves or end up dying trying to do so? (currently being rewritten due to skews in the time line and other mishaps found) Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Hunger Games.
1. Tributes

Stale bread sits on a rich redwood table, slowly wasting away; a slightly tanned hand is splayed beside it. Twitching every now and then as a sign of life. A sudden snore fills the silent room, rebounding off of the slate gray walls. The disruptive sound emanating from a blond man - whom is haphazardly laying on the table with the stale bread asleep-wearing a disheveled white dress shirt, ruffled black slacks, and formal dress shoes worn away due to the years of constant usage. His face is not one of serenity. It is morphed into an expression conveying pain, sadness, fear, and worry. Constant mumblings of "no"s and "move!"s escaping his chapped pale pink lips every so often.

Another blond enters the room appearing to be around the age of 11 or 12 due to his small stature, wearing a light blue dress shirt untucked from his black cargo pants which have several pockets lining the sides, the ends of the legs are tucked into a pair of black combat boots which are worn out to the point where it was observable that he had out them to good use yet had not shredded them or dulled the grip on the bottom of the sole. But the most astonishing and noticeable features to the young boy was the sunny blond hair that seemed to defy gravity, standing at whatever angle it pleased while managing to create bangs to frame his slightly rounded facial structure. Along with the shockingly blue eyes which could give the illusion of boring into your soul if the owner of the ocular muscles wished to do so. The last- but certainly the most unique feature-was the three whisker-like marks on each cheek marring his flawless naturally tanned complexion. His cerulean eyes scanned his surroundings searching for anything out of place. Finding nothing wrong or suspicious; he then proceeds to clean up after his fellow blond. Picking up all the discarded coffee mugs and whiskey glasses, followed by the plates and bowls placing them in the sink for washing later. Satisfied with his work, he then wakes up the elder of the two, dreadfully reminding him what day it is.

Reaping day. A yearly event which is never postponed. A day on which each district says farewell to two of its members so that they can be sent out to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The Capital -which was their form of government- used the games as a way to remind each district what had occurred the last time they had attempted to overthrow the government. Letting families watch as their children, families, friends, neighbors, or even lovers killed each other on a televised program in order to survive and get back home- or died trying to at least. It was psychological torture. Although it was not advertised as so, for obvious purposes, everyone who belonged to the districts knew the true purpose of the games and what it did to people. Many may not wish to fully regard the games for what they were, but nevertheless, they all knew.

Gray eyes are peeled open alert, their owner jumps at the ready with a dagger in his hand; slashing everywhere within a meter radius from himself. The other blonde seems unperturbed by this occurrence. Almost as if it happens daily. Which it probably does.

"Calm down you old geezer, it's alright. You stayed up drinking... Again, last night. You do know what day it is right?" Said the blue-eyed blond.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me dad, naruto? And, yeah, I sure as hell know what day it is. " replied the now identified Haymitch.

"Really? Then get up and get ready. You're the only 'winner' this district has so get up. And I've already told you that I won't call you 'dad' when you're drunk or hung over, because you're not my dad when you're like this. You're just a physical representation of what's left of him." Naruto responded.

"Alright, I'm sorry damn it. I always manage to screw up somehow now don't I. " he sighed, rubbing his temples while chuckling humorlessly at his slip-ups through life. There was a tense pause.

"There's no chance you are gonna get picked, your name is barely in there once. It ain't gonna happen. So don't worry about it...Even if you do get picked, I've trained you well enough so that you can survive." He reassured.

"Yeah, I know. Let just get it over with." Naruto responded with a seemingly bored expression, although Haymitch knew he was stressed a worried on the inside.

"Alright then princess, lets head on out" Haymitch teased attempting to lighten the mood.

"What'd you call me you old drunk?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh, just shut it princess. You're hurting my head." The gray-eyed man responded clutching his throbbing head as an after effect from his hangover, although you could see a twitch of his lips forming into a grin.

Son with father in tow trudged out of the house, locking it behind themselves. The bright light streaming into their eyes, causing their pupils to dilate in momentary blindness while their eyes adjust.

"Just another day in paradise, right?... Dad." Naruto says towards his father with a wide fox-like grin spread across his face.

"You got that right kid." Haymitch responds, his eyes softening. '_I could always count on you to cheer me up, huh, you lil' kucklehead_._'_

"What're thinking 'bout? And quit looking at me like that. You look like a pedophile." Naruto remarked matter-of-factly.

Haymitch's eyes widened as he gawked at him for suggesting such a thing. He then heard laughing in front of him. "That look on you're face! It's priceless!" Naruto laughed heartily while pointing at his father.

"You little prankster. C'mon lets go. I wanna get this over with." The platinum blond snarled.

"Sure thing Pop. I'll see ya in a bit. Alright?" The twelve year old chirped. "Mkay, kid. Just get moving. You only have five minutes till the keepers come to get ya."

"Sure~ like they could ever catch me." He drawled, his voice filled with smugness.

" They can't, but their bullets can. Now get moving." Was the serious reply.

" sheesh, I got ya. No need to be such a kill-joy." he said pouting. They parted ways each going to their respective positions. Naruto with the other male 12-year old Hunger- game contenders, and Haymitch on the stage with the district mayor.

The usual procedures were taken.

Firstly, they would roll a video presenting the honorary hunger games, it's terms, and how it originated. According to the pink haired woman it was to " raise their spirits." '_Yeah right, more like remind us what would happen if we were to rebel again_.' Naruto scoffed.

Then Effie trinket wearing her extravagant powder-pink wig would come to the stage and announce a quick "Happy Hunger Games and May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor" in that sickeningly sweet voice of hers.

The big event then commenced, sending shivers down many spines. Effie excitedly exclaimed that it was "ladies first" as she placed her hand in the bowl giving it a good few turns before announcing.

"Primrose Everdeen."

A shriek filled the air as primrose- better known as prim- was hauled to the front by the peace-keepers. She had dirty blond hair which was held together in two braids and light green eyes. Naruto actually kinda liked the girl, she would often help and fix him up when he injured himself during his training and she was very kind and considerate toward him. She was wearing a khaki skirt that stopped just bellow her knees and a white button up short-sleeved blouse followed by some black dress shoes that had a bronze latch.

"NO! Prim no!" A girl in a ruffled light blue dress with a bow in the front protested as she being held down by another pair of peace keepers.

'_Kat, Godammit. What do I do? She's going to volunteer for her, for Prim. That is, if her reaction is anything to go off of. Damn it. Why do these sort of things always happen around me? I can't volunteer too. It would kill dad. We're all we have left for one another. I can't do that to him_.' Naruto thought distressed as he balled up his fists to contain his frustrations.

"I VOLUNTEER! I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute." She exclaimed, her proclamation ringing through the morning air.

'_Knew it_.'. Naruto smiled sadly, having known Katniss for a while on a more personal level. You could say they were almost brother and sister. Katniss and Naruto had met one day out in the forests when Naruto was training with his aim with throwing knives by catching game.

***Flashback***

There is a fence surrounding District 12. This fence is supposed to always remain electrocuted in order to keep all the animals out of the district. At least that is what they have been told. But Katniss and Naruto knew better than that. They were not as naïve or idiotic as many perceived them to be, both children knew that the fence was a constricting barrier to not keep the animals in but the people. They were told the fences were electrocuted so that they wouldn't try and go out to see what the world had to offer. Knowing this Naruto, Katniss and Gale would go outside the fence frequently, although they never managed to run into one another. That is until today.

Katniss saw him and watched him from afar. Deciding to see what he could do. Naruto had two throwing knives in between his fingers on his right hand while holding another one in his left hand with a tight grip. The knives almost looked like any other knife you could find in your kitchen cupboard except for the fact that they had a strange loop on the end and it had four edges. If you were to take one knife a take a "bird's eye view" the knife would look something akin to a compass. Katniss watched as Naruto watched his prey carefully. It was three young rabbits coming out of their nearby den stretching their limbs, getting ready for the day. Within the blink of an eye Naruto eased his grip on the blades and let them loose, sending a whistling sound through the air and taking down the three rabbits. The hits were all in random spots that weren't lethal, but were good enough to incapacitate them from moving any further. Naruto strode forward at a fast pace, making sure not to make any noise, and to ahold of his prize. Naruto had felt guilty about hunting at first due to the fact that the animals were so innocent and did nothing to deserve their untimely deaths. But he soon learned that it was only another process of life. Humans eat meat, rabbits are a source of meat as are all other animals, meat was also very rare in District 12. It was fairly easy to find people to trade with to make some profit. It was only the truth. But since Naruto I'd the son of a Hunger Games Victor he had no need for the meat. Instead he chose to give the game he caught to some of the more needy populists of the coal mining district. He usually gave his game to a woman named Hazelle Hawthorne due to the amount of mouths she has to feed. Although he may not live in that type of situation, he knew that it must be a struggle. Naruto wistfully remembered the refusal she had put up before finally agreed.

***Flashback Within a Flashback* **

About 4 months ago. A 10 year old Naruto had his game bag hoisted over his shoulder, he had caught a nice turkey today along with a few rabbits. Proud of his catch today he made his trek down one of the dirt roads in the coal mining district which led to the Hawthorne residence to make his offering to Hazelle. At first Hazelle refused, saying that she couldn't take something from him that he worked so hard to catch without giving anything in return. To this Naruto replied with, "Then give me your friendship and trust. That's all I ask for." Which was of course followed by an immensely goofy smile, radiating warmth and kindness. Hazelle eventually gave up and relented agreeing to his terms. It's not as if she didn't like the boy, oh no! She greatly respected him for all the issues he has to go through every day. She just thought that it was so little to give for what he was offering to her in return. And so, with this new progress Naruto gave all his game to Hazel so that she could feed her family. Occasionally keeping a bit for himself. Meat was, in fact, rare in district twelve. And Hazelle and her family became a sort of second family to Naruto.

** *Flashback Within a Flashback End* **

Katniss kept on watching Naruto when he came to the forest day after day. Naruto was aware of her watching him he just chose to decide what she would make of it. This went on for about a week before Katniss finally decided to confront him. She had known about his reputation, but her father had told her that when she should encounter him to try and be his friend. It was a rather awkward conversation between the two involving Katniss admitting that she had been watching Naruto for the past week or so with Naruto faking shock. Which if course riled up Katniss to the point where she began hissing almost. Therefore, Naruto thought to rightfully name her Kat because she hissed like a cat. Katniss gawked at him at his audacity. Naruto just laughed at her face.

They then proceeded to run in to each other frequently, striking up conversations outside the fence. Trading tricks of the trade and just having fun. Somewhere in between this Gale had found them and they had become an I breakable little hunting trio. "The three Hunteers" Naruto had affectionately named their group. And so The Three Hunteers they were.

** *Flashback end* **

That was two years ago.

Katniss walked up to the stage after having consoled her sister. Passing her to her long-time companion Gale, ignoring the pleads for her to return emitting from her jade-eyed little sister.

"Now who might you be dear?" Effie said with a tint of curiosity staining her voice.

"Katniss everdeen" she responded. It almost sounded robotic, if it weren't for the slight fear presenting itself when the question caught her by surprise.

"Oh, and I bet my biscuits that, that was your sister. Right?" Effie said, her voice filled with confidence. Sounding as if she had just solved a murder mystery. Katniss only nodded mutely.

"Well then, let's continue. Now for the boys." Effie announced.

"Naruto Abernathy." She said. There was a long pregnant silence. See, not many people knew Naruto personally. They were afraid of him due to his father having won the games. Making them believe he was some sort of monster or demon spawn. This was further fueled by the fact that he had bright azure eyes and odd whisker marks on his cheeks. No one else had ever been known to have such striking features. Sure, some people may have had blue colored eyes but they were duller and darker and seemingly devoid of life, his were the exact opposite. Bright and filled to the brim with life and energy. But, although they didn't know him on a personal level they sure as hell knew who he was. How couldn't they? He was the son of district 12's only winner.

The silence was suddenly shattered as yet another loud protest pierced through the air that day. But this time it wasn't to volunteer for the chosen contender. No this time it was of a concerned and horrified parent none other than Haymitch Abernathy. All eyes turned to Haymitch due to his sudden outburst.

"No! It can't be him. You gotta be kidding me. It can't be him. It just can't. It can't. Damn it, it can't." Haymitch's voice slowly started losing volume to the point where it was just senseless mumbling.

The mayor sitting next to him not moving an inch. Although the distress was clearly displayed on his face he knew that if he gave the man sympathy it may be seen as a rebellious move against the Capital.

Naruto slowly and confidently strode down the aisle to the stage of the chosen tributes. Not letting any weaknesses be shown. Power wafted from him as a sign of no conviction whatsoever. Naruto himself knew that this was going to happen to someone anyways, and he rather it happen to him-someone who has training and preparation- rather than someone else-who had no experience or training whatsoever. In conclusion, he believed it better that someone go in that isn't terrified and has some sort of chance for survival.

He feels a hand snag at his arm. He looks up to find Gale looking down at him. Naruto simply shakes his head, inclining his head towards their families on the sidelines. Gale understands and releases his arm reluctantly with tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Naruto reaches the stage without further delay and simply gives Effie a curt nod before taking his place beside her- opposite to Katniss. He notices Katniss staring at him from the corner of her eye radiating pure horror and sadness that she couldn't, in fact, save both of her younger siblings; Even if one of them wasn't in blood. That look was all it took Naruto to decide that he would do whatever it takes to keep her alive, while attempting to stay alive himself. Effie congratulates them and advises the rest of the district to do so as well. But instead they silently raise three fingers which is known as a sign of admiration, and saying farewell to someone you love in the districts. Although the inhabitants of District 12 did not entirely like Naruto, they admired him for taking the place of tribute that one of their own children could have taken instead. Effie being from the Capitol has no idea what the gesture means and merely shrugs it off in her regular cheery demeanor. Naruto and Katniss however understand the gesture and look on solemnly as they know that their chances for survival were dim. As it was for all the inhabitants of District 12.

It was a tradition in the games that the male and female tribute would shake hands at the end of the reaping as a sign of good luck and respect for one another. And traditions are never broken. That is until Katniss saw her little brother being unceremoniously thrown into a blood- filled battle field.

To the capitalists it was unexpected and endearing. To the inhabitants of the coal mining district it was absolutely heart breaking an outrageous. To see two people actively known to be as much as siblings as biological ones can be, hugging on stage-One of them being the District Demon no less-Letting all their worries go in order to focus on the task ahead.

"We're gonna be okay" was the soft shaky remark that escaped Katniss' lips.

"I know, we just gotta stick together... Right sis?" The sunshine blonde remarked happily and confidently. Although Naruto himself was quite shaken but he refused to show it.

"Right, Naru, right." She responded with a soft grin tugging at her lips. She could always count on him.

The embrace was quick but filled with warmth and reassurance. Soft baby blue orbs met with muddy grey ones. An unmistakable glint of untold determination, conviction and love shone in their eyes. Both tributes turned to face the crowd of adolescents and families, waiting for the ceremony to finish so that they can say goodbye to their families and relax. Well the departing from families was more on Katniss' part due to Naruto's father being the 'coach' for the chosen tributes every year because of his standing as the last surviving victor in district 12.

Haymitch was blank. He refused vehemently to what was occurring. He couldn't stand that his last living factor keeping him tied to this world was about to go into a televised massacre. He needed the kid alive in order to know that he was alive himself. Yes, he very well knew that he was being selfish saying that Naruto needed to live and that he was using him, in a way, to reassure himself that his life still went on. Day, after day, after miserable day. He drank himself away from the world in a river of liquor and denial that seemed to be never ending. Leaving Naruto to defend for himself in this unforgiving cynical world they called home; along with the chore of taking care of Haymitch when Haymitch couldn't take care of himself; Which didn't happen often, except for on those... _Special_ days.

'_I Really screwed up this time now didn't I_?' The 35 year-old blond thought ashamedly.

Getting up from the floor and preparing to go and get ready for travel. His motions dead and robotic. It's like his heart was in shambles even before anything had started yet.


	2. Goodbye and Farewell: Part 1

Both Tributes leisurely walked through the huge oak doors behind them that would lead to their rooms to give their last departing words and wishes to their families and friends. One would expect the mayor's home to be bright and filled to the brim with invaluable treasures but it was surprisingly simple. Upon entering, the party of three [Naruto, Katniss, Effie] walked into a passage way that had a simple wooden floor with ivory colored walls to their left and right which we lined with various paintings and decorations. None of which seemed to catch Naruto or Katniss' attention except for one hastily painted depiction. The painting depicted a run-down coal mine shrouded in smog and mist, as if it was crumbling down into rubble at a rapid pace. The entire painting was incredibly hard to decrypt from the shrewd brush marks. It was as if the painter was in a rush and didn't have time to spare for perfection, like when you are trying to capture a moment with a camera and are moving so fast that the image is blurred making it hard to see the picture but good enough to find out what was going on. The picture was like a decently sized gray smudge on the wall that shouldn't have caught their attention, much like it hadn't caught Effie's attention. But there was one thing that set the painting apart from any of the others-amongst the chaos, disaster and darkness- there stood a child, in the center of the painting. Most children would be cowering in fear in a corner attempting to shield them from the pain that would be soon to come, but this child didn't. He stood tall and proud with a small subtle smile settled on his peaceful complexion. He seemed to be unaware of the pandemonium surrounding him; his obsidian orbs gazing into the abyss, shining with hope and satisfaction. The young boy seemed to be around 8 years old, he was garbed in a raggedy light brown long sleeved shirt with torn and worn out white shorts that had turned black with the lingering soot in the air. In his left hand he held a piece of fallen rubble, protecting it within his grip. It was like he was trying to save something that was rapidly falling apart. He wasn't trying to keep it together; he was trying to reassure the handful of earth that the event was somehow bound to happen. The painting was unlike any other, the image was showing that it was okay to fall apart and combust because it was going to happen at some time. And when that time came, you could only hope that those who were caught within the fray of turmoil and emotions won't look at you with disgust, fear or pity but instead with compassion, understanding, comfort and acceptance. At this point in time the young tributes didn't know the meaning the portrait, but in time they would.

"Come on now, let's get going." Urged Effie, as she placed a hand on each of the tributes' backs to push them forward towards their destination in the form of the waiting rooms for chosen tributes.

Having been startled from their revere, the two tributes continued walking down the corridor until they were approached by two peacekeepers.

"We'll take you to your rooms." The peacekeeper to the right said in a gruff monotone.

"Oh, thank goodness. I have things to do." Effie said relieved, she then scampered off hurriedly to whatever business she had to attend to.

'_Capital people are weird'_ Naruto thought distractedly.

The brunette and the petit blonde were then taken by one guard each and were escorted to their rooms which were along the same hallway.

With Naruto Abernathy

Upon reaching his room that was right behind a set of wooden oak doors, Naruto turned around and smiled foxily at the supposed man dressed in white [peacekeeper].

_'And so, let the games begin.' _The blue-eyed pre-teen thought mischievously.

"Thanks Dude. Dattebayo!" the blonde said exuberantly.

"Hn.", Was the utterly creative response.

The 12 year old then turned towards his fellow tribute.

"Good luck Kat!" he said, smile still in place.

"You too Naruto." The elder of the two responded, smiling sadly.

Katniss already knew that Naruto wasn't expecting anyone to come and visit him because he was the outcast of District 12, if there ever was such a thing. Although Katniss was slightly jealous at Naruto for being able to have his father come and coach him at the games and be alongside him as a constant comfort, she also understood the cost. Naruto and Haymitch were all they had left for one another, while Katniss had lost her father in the mining incident; she still had her aloof mother and Prim. But recently Katniss had been suspecting that something was going on between Naruto and Prim and she approved. Just let it be known that if he ever hurts a tail feather on her little duck of a sister that Naruto would pay gravely for his actions. For this exact same reason Katniss was determined to bring Naruto back from the games if not for her, then for Prim. The brunette also knew that Naruto was determined to bring Katniss back from the games as well due to a certain muscular brunette. She fought down the urge to blush as several images of him flashed through her mind. Gale and Katniss had only been friends at first but eventually their relationship grew and was beginning to bloom into something more. Katniss was unsure whether or not Gale felt the same sentiments towards her so she chose to stay silent as many other girls in the coal mining district spoke up. Gale never accepted any of their offers to go out with them and when Katniss would question him why when the 'Three Hunteers' would get together out in the meadows he would simply answer:

"I'm just waiting for the right one I guess, Catnip."

Naruto would then tell Katniss that maybe he meant her? Katniss denied it multiple times saying how could he want her? He was smart, funny, strong and not to mention cute. While she was just Katniss, scrawny, little, bow-shooting Katniss. Naruto would roll his eyes and Katniss would call him a hypocrite which flustered him to no end. Naruto could be a love doctor all he wanted, when it came to his own love-life he was as dense as molasses.

"Get moving." The peacekeeper intruded, shaking Katniss from her thoughts.

Naruto watched as Katniss was escorted further down the hall until another peacekeeper loomed and came to stand guard at Naruto's room and made Naruto get into the room, closing the door behind him. Being used to such treatment, Naruto shrugged it off and spun around on his heel to speculate the room.

The room was vacant, save for the small velvet couch that sat in the center of the room. There was a window to his right, taking up a majority of the wall. There were scarlet drapes cascading on either side of the window that were the same shade as the small couch. The floors were the usual dark hardwood seen in district 12. The walls were composed of wood panels as well. He wouldn't be surprised if the same wood used on the walls was used on the floors. It was spring approaching summer by this time of the year, but even so the room seemed to be covered by a slight chill.

Naruto sluggishly trudged over to the small couch which seemed too look so inviting and soft and the moment and plopped down on top of it. He folded his arms behind his head, leaned back and closed his azure eyes.

"And now we wait." He muttered to himself.

He decided to try and get some shuteye, seeing as he would be there for about two to three hours and wasn't expecting any visitors. He was nearly asleep with his mind flooded with thoughts of a certain green-eyed blonde that he couldn't seem to get him mind off of. He kind of liked it though, and this confused him to no end; causing him to contemplate his feelings for the girl. Then thirty minutes into his endless thoughts there was a knock at the door.

_'Huh? Did someone come? I wonder who it is.' _ Naruto thought excitedly.

"Come in." he answered, attempting to conceal his excitement; Key word being attempting.

With that the oak doors were quickly opened followed by a small white blur which enraptured Naruto in a tight embrace and buried itself into Naruto's chest. Naruto was too stunned to move so he just stood there until his instincts kicked in and he hugged the figure back. It wasn't until five minutes later did the person release their grip on him did Naruto gather enough courage to look down in order to identify the figure, only to have his breath hitch as the same being whom had consumed him thoughts recently stood before him teary-eyed. His eyes softened, and for once he didn't question his emotions and merely followed their lead.

"Prim." He said sadly as he wrapped her in his arms and held her close, never waning to let her go.


	3. Goodbye and Farewell: Part 2

"Prim." Naruto said softly.

Tear stricken emerald green eyes made contact with warm azure ones. She knew that he wanted to talk but the topic was a grim one.

"I know." She said shakily, untangling herself from his warm embrace but not creating too much distance between the two since they didn't have much time together left.

"I'm gonna protect her." He said firmly.

"I know."

"I'm gonna have her win the games no matter what."

"W-what about you?" she said, surprise coloring her tone.

"I'll die if I have to." Came the melancholy whisper.

Unbeknownst to Naruto this struck a cord in the young girl not even a foot away from him. She had known for a long time now that the blue-eyed boy that had wormed his way into her heart, constantly put others before himself even if it meant that he would be harmed in the process.

"No! You won't, you have too much to live for!"

At this point the entirety of the blonde boy's thought processes were brought to a screeching halt. He attempted to restrain his emotions like he had been doing for as long as he could remember and not do anything rash, but the actuality of the events came crashing into him.

"Like what?!" It was more of an exclamation than it was a question. "Like the hate and discrimination that I see everyday that I step outside my door. Like the sneers and paranoia that follows me nearly everywhere I go?!"

"Like me! You dumb jerk! Like me, your dad, Gale and all of your friends and family. Don't we mean anything to you?" She said desperately, her voice weakening until it was almost a whisper. "I really, really like you. Okay? I have for a while now. I love how you jabber constantly without incentive. I love how no matter what you can always manage to smile. I love how you make me the happiest girl in the world when you come to see me, even though it may be because you're hurt. And I don't want to love you because I'm in denial and if I say that I love you then that means you can break my heart and I don't want that, I don't want that. I know it's really selfish and wrong for me to do that but I…I am. And what about your dad? Huh?!"

At this point Naruto was speechless, whether it be from the fact that she basically confessed her love for him or because he realized his mistake Prim didn't know. Nor did she care, she had to convince him to be safe and try to stay alive. So she continued, "He has done so much for you. How do you think he feels? He loves you so damn much. It's probably killing him right now, having to see his son potentially die in some sick game with him at fault for telling you what he did, instead of something else that could've saved your life. You are his rock. It would kill him if you were to die. I wouldn't put it past him to drink himself dead. Don't you know that you are his reason for living? My reason fo-" She was cut off as she was suddenly wrapped in a warm embrace with a pair of chapped lips pressed to her forehead. She blushed realizing what happened.

"I'm sorry. But I will get Katniss out alive, and I will try to get out too no matter what. You're right. Didn't think about you, my dad, or any of my other friends and family. A-a-and… I … I really, really like you too. I think. I'm not sure yet. I'm terrible at emotions. I'm really confused right now. But I'm pretty sure I like you beyond platonic means. I will make it out. I've barely figured this out with you and I'm not willing to let it go. And I can't have my dad breaking down either. I will do my best." He said with a small grin forming on his lips, which were still pressed to her forehead.

"You be careful now, okay? I won't be there to heal you so you better take care of yourself. Okay? Don't you dare forget all that I've taught you." She said, her demeanor becoming serious as it always does when talking about anything medical.

"I will. Thanks for everything Primrose. I want you to take care. Take care of yourself and everyone else. Sell the cheese you make from Lady's milk and tell Buttercup to stop being such a bastard for me. You have people too Primrose, don't forget about them. Goodb-" As he was about to finish, Prim cut him off.

"No. Don't say goodbye because goodbye is too… final. Too… permanent."

"Okay then. I'll see you in a bit. It might seem like forever but it will only be a bit. Anyways after the 'bit' passes we still have forever to go. Right?"

Emerald green eyes brightened hearing significantly as the prospect of a brighter future with someone she may just be in love with. And wit this in mind she chirped a quick "Sure do!" followed by giving him a peck on the cheek.

The poor boy looked like he was broken; Unable to comprehend what just happened.

"Times up." A gruff voice interrupted as the peacekeeper entered to escort Prim out.

"See ya in a bit!" He said somberly.

"In a bit!" replied a teary-eyed Prim.

Unbeknownst to Prim, Naruto left himself a little wormhole. '_I will come back, just like I said. I'm just not sure if I'll be entirely living.' _ Thought the blonde with a hint of guilt.

And with that final thought, Naruto watched as another one of his precious people walked out the door. Her shirt untucked as always.


	4. Fine for now

Seeing as the young blond wasn't expecting any more visitors he decided to take a nap to calm his nerves and sort through the recent waves of emotions that had hit him like a ton of bricks.

_'What the hell should I do now? I have to get Kat out for sure but then again I kind of like living and I sure as hell don't want to leave dad or Prim behind. But then again, Katniss has so much more waiting for her back at home. And I think that she would take care of Pops for me if I asked nicely enough. But what if we figure out how to get both of us out. What then?' _The blonde thought diligently, his arms crossed behind his head as he lied on the red velvet couch, allowing his mind to roam.

_'I wonder how Kat is doing? I mean nearly losing two siblings in one day has got to make some sort of psychological issues right? Knowing her she's either worrying about her family or trying to figure out what to do once she gets to the Games. Then there's this whole thing with Prim that I still have to figure out. Should I ask for some help on this? Gale maybe. Or maybe Peeta, he has a lot of experience with love, right? I mean he tells me about this girl he's in love with all the time but he's never said her name. She's one lucky girl. He makes some delicious cake. And not to mention Greasy Sae's ramen. Damn, I'm gonna miss that tiny piece of delicious heaven. With all it's noodley goodness and meaty flavor.' _Thought the boy, unconsciously drooling at the prospect of eating his favorite food in the world. Unknown to him, as he had been musing through his thoughts someone else had entered the silent room.

"Ahem." Came a raspy cough from the corner, successfully drawing Naruto's attention to the corner of the room as he tumbled off the couch clumsily and landed on his face.

"Smooth, Fishcake." Came the amused remark from none other than one Gale Hawthorne. He would know that voice anywhere.

"Shut up, Gill." Mumbled the younger of the two whilst picking himself up from the rather dusty wooden floor.

When the two had been out trading goods together once, Gale had taken to calling Naruto Fishcake when they went to the Hob and Greasy Sae had offhandedly commented on the fact that Naruto's name meant fishcake when Naruto had to remind Greasy Sae what his name was, **_again. _**Gale, _of course_, found this absolutely hilarious, the fact that the younger hunter who could take him down within the blink of an eye had such a cutesy name was too good to be true and immediately began teasing him and in a somewhat weak retaliation Naruto had called Gale, Gill. And the names just stuck for the two this way. The two had become somewhat rivals in all truth.

Gale, even though he was older than her, had come to see that he actually had affections for Katniss beyond platonic. He had come to notice that he would take any chance to help Katniss with anything from learning how to use traps, to helping her learn to cope with the loss of her father when he was still trying to learn himself. And the major reasoning as to why he would do that was so that he could be around her or to hear the sound of her voice, her laugh, the way she would only let out a full-blown laugh if it was himself, Naruto, or Prim telling the joke or doing something ridiculous. He loved the way that she would talk to him like he was a normal person, not like any of his fangirls who would set him on a pedestal and try to seduce him when given any chance possible. He loved the way she spoke her mind without a care in the world when she was around those she trusted dearly (himself and Prim along with the blond-knucklehead). He knew that he was being selfish, but goddammit he was in love.

Naruto, although terrible with emotions, was able to pick up the fact that Gale had indeed fallen in love with Katniss. Gale wasn't the subtle type whatsoever, when Gale had once been trying to lie to him it was so easy to tell he was lying that it was like picking a piece of hay out of a stack of hay; Too e_asy. _But, of curse this tick that Gale had only seemed to appear when talking to people he knew personally. When talking to people he didn't know it was as if he was the best spy in the world−second to Naruto, of course. The point being that, if you knew Gale well enough you knew that he sucked at lying and being subtle. Especially when he liked something _a lot_. And well, Katniss was like an older sister to Naruto and Katniss saw Naruto as a younger brother in turn and he had taken it upon his list of responsibilities to act as such, which included testing and keeping any possible suitors as far away from her as possible. Which was quite hard considering Gale was quite… touchy. Gale always liked touching Katniss' hands or shoulders whenever he was helping her with something or teaching her to set up a new trap. Not to mention the sickeningly sweet nickname he had for her, like _seriously_, his nickname for her was '_Catnip_'. Catnip was something little kittens ate for a sweet treat; even Buttercup-bastard would roll over for some of the stuff. Not to mention, it was rare where they lived, even if they were surrounded by greenery they could never manage to sprout the damn thing and when they did, it was a miracle and really special.

But back to the point, Gale and Naruto were rivals for two reasons: 1) Gale was vying for Katniss' affections which Naruto was keeping them away from him. And 2) It was always a test to see who could bring in the biggest game and get it by the local peacekeepers without them noticing.

Gale was currently winning with a deer, two turkeys a rabbit and a squirrel. Naruto has an inkling that he had made a deal with the peacekeepers again because the blonde had only been able to bring in three rabbits, four squirrels, and a small mountain lion while barely making it through without any peacekeepers noticing.

"How you holding up there Fishcake?" Gale asked, sitting down on the couch and patting the spot beside him to signal Naruto to join him. Successfully pulling the younger boy out of his musings once more.

"I'm okay, everything just caught up to me a couple minutes ago though." The 12 year old said honestly.

"Listen, I'm sorry and I should've done something, volunteered for you." The brunette said, guilt painting his voice, causing it to crack halfway through.

"Hey, we talked about this, remember. We said that if it were to ever to come to something like this that I would volunteer for you or any of your little brothers because I know I at least stand a chance and I have a knack for luck. And if I were to be chosen that you would stand **down** because you have a family to support and now that Katniss is going too, her family as well." The sapphire-eyed blonde said furiously. His forest green-eyed companion made no move to calm him since he understood. "There is some food and supplies at my place if you need any, in fact get it as soon as possible because or else it's gonna go bad. Kami knows we're not gonna use it, so you might as well." Naruto said, his tone softening as he spoke.

It was only now that Naruto realized how hard this must be for the older boy. He was about to see _both_ of his best and only friends battle to the death and potentially have to kill each other while simultaneously having to worry about having to support two families. Damn, that must be having some sort of impact on his psyche. He had been thinking a lot about people's psychological workings lately. Just like he had every year once the Reapings came around. Naruto turned away from the brunette, willing himself to gather his bearings.

"I know, I know. But I still think that you're too _young_ for this crap." He said, his voiced strained as he was holding back a torrent of tears that would be sure to come once he was back in the forest, but he continued speaking anyways, pushing through the pain in his heart and sting in his eyes. "I'll grab the food and supplies as soon as possible, even though I don't want it, I know it's not about me. But really, _listen to me_. You do your best to get out of there, both of you guys. I know you guys can manage it somehow, just _think_. Okay? Use everything you've learned and everything you know. Everything that you haven't shown us." The younger of the two's eyes widened and head whipped to back to him upon hearing this. "Don't give me that look, I may not look it, but I can be pretty smart, when I want. I know you've been hiding something, the way you could pick up a knife like it was an assassin's weapon and not a kitchen tool. The way you walk has a deadly feel to it, like if I take my eyes off you I'm risking my life. I know you would never kill any of us so I never asked about it. You're one of my best friends, not to mention rival. You better show me that I didn't make a mistake by choosing a _squirt_ like you to be _my_ rival. It would be pretty pathetic if you died within the first five minutes, now wouldn't it?" he said with a hint of mirth towards the end.

"Oh, shut _up_ Gill. But I get it. I'll do my best, believe it. I swear I'll explain everything once this is all over." He said, only slightly amused himself.

"Believe it?" the tall teen said, chuckling. "So that's what you're going to use huh? The lovable idiot. Nice choice, don't mess it up. That always was one of my favorites, even though it's extremely annoying. You better make them believe it, or they'll have your hide. I better go now, I was gonna apply for a job. Be careful Fishcake, and take care of both of yourselves. We have to keep the three Hunteers together remember?"

"I will. Same goes for you. Take care of everyone. Good luck with that job of yours." The Abernathy said.

"You too."

And with that, yet another of his precious people walked out of the large wooden doors, separating himself from them and giving himself up to his new adventure up ahead. But this one had a bit more swagger in his step.

_'I think I've had enough surprises for today, now for that nap.' _He thought as he laid back down, hoping for no more interruptions.

Alas, fate is a bitch. Before he even got to close his eyes there was a heavy knock on the door as a gruff voice told him they would be departing now.

The blond sluggishly pulled himself up into a standing position and straightened his clothes as he walked towards to the large wooden doors, preparing himself for what was on the other side. He took once last deep breathe before smiling idiotically wide and placing his tan hand on the knob and pulling open the door. He was immediately grabbed by two figures garbed in white, which he recognized as peacekeepers, and led down the hallway before coming to an exit and being walked down to the train only a few feet away.

As expected, the streets of District 12 were vacant once more. The silence was eerie and it was obvious that everyone had their shutters closed, waiting for them to leave so that their party may commence.

Every year once all of the excess people from the Capital left, there was a celebration to celebrate the fact that people from their own families weren't taken to participate in the upcoming bloodbath. Although it was staged to seem like it was a celebration for the upcoming Hunger Games, everyone knew the underlying purpose. As every year the families whose children were taken from them would turn off all of the lights, close all the curtains and essentially close themselves off from the rest of the world to mourn their loss.

A sharp shove on his lower back from one of his escorts broke him away from his musings once more as he was led to the train that would take him to the Capitol, a place he had only heard about and seen on television during the yearly Hunger Games televising. He knew that it was extravagant but he also knew it was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to his father's past connections with the Capitol they had more than once had been over to the Mayor's home where Naruto met Madge. Madge was a nice girl, misunderstood and always willing to please others. Since being the Mayor's daughter made her an outcast in the secluded Seam (as District Twelve's more rickety and inhabited area was frequently referred to as by it's inhabitants). In that way both her and Naruto had something in common. Among other things.

Seeing as he frequented Madge's home quite often he had unsurprisingly gained the trust to wander the halls of the mansion and thus was well aware of what happened in the inner workings of where they lived, having stumbled across and sneaked into the Mayor's office where he would frequently have broadcasts playing on his television about classified information. It was stupid really, anyone could walk in there and just watch television in order to find out what new mistake the Capitol had made. There have been _a lot_. He had at some point made a mental map of the place after getting lost so many times.

….

Upon entering the train the pre-teen was immediately engulfed in a desperate hug by his father who had been waiting for him on the train the entire time. The older man was shaking with unshed tears and bottled rage at having his son go through something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemies. They slowly separated before walking together into another compartment where there was an abundance of food piled high on silver platters. Fine wines and cheeses, enough food to feed the entire Seam, sating the ravenous beast named starvation gnawing at their souls, even if the effects would only be temporary. Father and son sat down together and awaited the arrival of one shaken brunette in order to begin their meal.

It wasn't awkward per say, just slightly suffocating.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't. Just don't dad. Okay? This isn't your fault. We both know that so don't apologize. I'll do my best to keep both of us alive. We both know I'm more than adequately equipped to deal with this. It's kinda what I've trained for. We'll be fine. _I'll_ be fine."

"Okay. Okay! You know what princess? You're right! We'll be just fine. You'll be just fine. Both of yous. We just need to focus on getting you guys out of there. Alive. Yeah, yeah. You'll be just fine." Stated the elder of the two, although it sounded more like a reassurance to himself than anything else.

Silence reigned once more until the rolling of the compartment door was heard as it opened and standing there was the long awaited brunette. Looking calm on the outside but on the inside, Naruto knew, a storm surged and if it wasn't abated soon then it would tear her from the inside out.

"Hey Kat, what's shakin'?" Naruto said with a ridiculously large grin plastered on his face.

And slowly but surely, the storm was beginning to calm. For now at least. It was fine for now.

And Naruto can deal with fine.

He can.

Really.

He can.

But only for now.


End file.
